Night Lights

When we moved into our current house several years ago, it seemed so dark at night. The first few days/weeks I cannot count the number of times I bumped into a cabinet, or a piece of furniture, or I slapped at a wall trying to find a light switch. I purchased numerous night lights to save my shins, elbows, etc. from the torture that furniture laying in wait dishes out.

The night lights were nice. I could see where I was going at night and didn’t have to turn on all the lights in the house to do it. The kids had a light in their room so if they happened to wake up in the middle of the night, they could get their bearings and go back to sleep.

A few months ago, I started noticing that I don’t like the lights anymore. It started with a light that wasn’t even in my house. About a block away there is a street light. Once the leaves fell from the trees in our backyard and our neighbors’ yard (and I think one or two branches might have come down by the wind), that street light shines right in my eyes as I lay in bed. I can see that silly light even with my eyes closed. So I would roll over and the light from our electric blanket would shine in my eyes. At times I have lain in bed not able to sleep because of how bright the house is.

Now that the house has become more familiar, I am able to notice all of the other lights I didn’t notice before. There is a light on the VCR, the phone cradle, the TV, our alarm clocks, my wife’s computer, the coffee maker, the space heater in the corner, etc. These lights were there before, yet I was just not aware enough to notice them. Our house is anything but dark anymore, and there have been several night lights that have had to find their way into a drawer.

How often in life do we deal with other “night lights”? For a time they are helpful to help us get our bearings, or get us where we need to go. These things may help us feel more secure or make us feel more freedom... But, at some point, they stop becoming helpful and become more of a hindrance or inconvenience.

The subtitle of a book I was recently given is “What Got You Here Won’t Get You There.” Too often we continue to rely on things that were once helpful, long past their usefulness. There are times in our lives we need to put those things away because they aren’t needed, because we have grown, changed, and have become more comfortable in our surroundings. We may have to find a new “tool” to help move us forward in our lives, but if we cling to what got us here, we won’t ever get there. For healthier relationships, minds, bodies, etc. there are things we need to let go of so that we can grow and change.